Auto-Cycle Union
Governing body for motorcycle sport in the British Isles.
The Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) is the governing body of motorcycle sport in the British Isles, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, but excluding Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It oversees a wide range of motorcycle competitions across the region, from grasstrack and enduro to road racing and speedway. Founded in 1903 as the Auto-Cycle Club, a branch of the Automobile Club of Great Britain, it took its current name in 1907. The ACU has been central to British motorcycle sport for over a century, controlling speedway from 1930 until 1946 and helping run the Isle of Man TT races from their inception. Today it is administered from offices in Rugby, Warwickshire, and as of January 2021 listed hundreds of affiliated clubs across 21 regions within mainland Great Britain.
Quick Facts
- Sport
- Motorcycling
- Founded
- 1903
Facts from the source article.
History
The ACU began in 1903 as the Auto-Cycle Club, a branch of the Automobile Club of Great Britain (later the Royal Automobile Club), with the aim of developing motor sport through clubs and arranging touring facilities for members. It took its current name in 1907, the same year the ACGB became the RAC. According to the 1964 ACU Official Pocket Handbook, the organisation was founded to protect motorcyclists' interests and encourage the sport and pastime of motorcycling, and from 1924 it existed solely for encouraging and controlling the sport. In 1904 it was a founding member of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme. The ACU controlled motorcycle speedway from 1930 until 1946, when the Speedway Control Board took over, though still constituted within the ACU. As of 2020, the ACU is administered from offices in Rugby, Warwickshire.
Safety
From around 1947 to 1982, the ACU ran a motorcycling training scheme for road users jointly with the RAC, which preceded modern Compulsory Basic Training courses. For motorcycle racing, the ACU requires a race competitor training course and a basic rider assessment before issuing a Road Race Competition Licence. It also governs safety standards for personal protection equipment; only helmets meeting ACU standards and displaying the appropriate sticker may be worn in speed competitions.
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